As Darkness Falls
by Angelic Sovereign
Summary: Penumbra is a world of darkness...a world at war. While the races of Penumbra fight amongst themselves, a force of unimaginable malice emerges. Will one of humanity's greatest enemies step forward, and become the light in their darkened world?
1. Chapter I

**Angelic Sovereign: This is a little bit of a departure for me...a story based in a universe that exists only in my head. This will probably be my most original work, and I'm very excited for it.**

My name is Rafe.

I come from a world you wouldn't understand. A world of darkness. A world where the only guarantee is that your existence will be filled with perpetual shadow. A world where life is short and cruel, where men butcher one another in the streets, where children starve so their parents may live, where women are little more than a means to escape the hopelessness of reality…a world where humanity is acutely aware of its insignificance in the face of a superior power.

Our world is Penumbra.

Humans call us Void-Walkers, for we are the only creatures of our world that can traverse the twilight realm that exists just beyond reality.

The Void. An otherworldly place of complete and total darkness, where none can survive except those born of it. My people are half of this world…and half of the other.

We constantly exist in two dimensions at once. We can phase in and out of reality, even travel through the Void and come out into existence wherever we wish, instantaneously.

We are stronger, faster, better than any human can ever hope to be. Let them have their technology, we have no need for it. Their greatest works are for naught when compared to ours.

This is my home. A world of darkness. The world of Penumbra.

My name is Rafe. This is my story.

**Angelic Sovereign: A little bit of a prologue for you. You guys know the drill!**


	2. Chapter II

**Angelic Sovereign: This chapter is kinda short, but I'll be working on this quite extensively. Read and enjoy!**

My lips curl over my fangs as I watch the mass of humanity in the street around me. As I sit on a bench, the wretches push and shove their way through an ocean of their own, scurrying about their meaningless lives. Their city is a decaying pit, a cesspool where the vermin of Penumbra come to breed. A short distance away from me, a mother and her child mill about near a shop, conversing with the shopkeeper. The little boy stares at me, and I smile in his direction. The flash of pointed, serrated teeth ends that nuisance.

"Hey." A man, heavy-set, balding, and ugly as sin sat on the bench near me. My body immediately goes rigid. Humans avoid my kind altogether…this won't end well.

When I don't return the greeting, he presses on, leaning in close. "I know what you are."

I turn to face him, and he immediately recoils.

"We don't like your kind in human cities." I watch as more humans, similarly afflicted with this one's stupidity, circle around me. The crowd of humans stops to watch the gang harass a harmless man sitting on a bench. Except I'm not what they think.

He rests a hand on my shoulder. I can tell that he is trying to make it forceful, but my body barely registers the pressure. "So why don't you get lost…and we don't have to make you."

I stay seated and silent. The man grabs the collar of my jacket; his face filled with fury and hate, and begins to pull his other fist back for a punch.

He moves as if the air is treacle. In the time it takes him to make a fist, I've already stood up and struck him in the gut. In the time it takes him to bring his fist back, he's already flying away from me, the force of my strike lifting him off his feet into the air. In the time it takes him to realize something's wrong, he's hit the wall of the building across the street and shattered every bone in his body.

I feel the power rush through me, a cold burning, and I step through the twilight that exists just past this world and back out behind another human. His neck snaps with just a touch.

I dispatch six other humans in a similar fashion, before any of them realize that the others are dead. As they drop to the ground, their fall as slow and inevitable as the moon crossing the sky, the crowd screams and disperses as the mice uncover the viper in their midst. Sirens wail, and soon, I'm surrounded by their incompetent and corrupt, pathetic excuses for guards.

My laughter, cold and unnatural, frightens them. Their fear is like a fine wine to me.

"Humans…when will you learn?" I hold out my hands mockingly, and they slap phase-cuffs on my wrists before hauling me away.

My laughter echoes hauntingly in the empty street.

**Angelic Sovereign: I'm very excited about this story. Rafe is decidedly one of my favorite characters. I hope I'm starting to paint a picture for you, reviews will be greatly appreciated.**


	3. Chapter III

**Angelic Sovereign: Hello, dear readers. This is the first chapter I'll have posted since my move to college, so I'm interested to see how its affected my prose(that term is used very loosely). I'm very happy with how _As Darkness Falls_ is turning out, and I hope you guys do too. Read, review and enjoy!**

_23 years prior..._

I smiled at the young human girl as she approached me on the street, my fangs fully exposed. She did not cringe or shy away, but instead smiled back dreamily. When I reached her, she leaned up and gently kissed my cheek.

"Still hoping to scare me off?" she asked, her voice soft and gentle in a way I had never heard in anyone else.

I chuckled. "For your own good." I gazed into her hazel eyes as I commented dryly. "I am dangerous after all."

She laughed openly as she walked past. I followed close behind, the hood of my overcoat concealing my face as we made our way through the throngs of humans.

"I am at a loss. I do not understand the need for such secrecy."

She turned to look at me as she pushed past a particularly large and slow pedestrian. "Somebody's cranky..." she sang, that same dreamy grin on her face.

I growled, the sound making the humans near me regard me somewhat suspiciously. Only Selena would know it was playful. "Your forcing me to follow you to some undisclosed location through human streets. The stench alone is almost enough to convince me to leave."

She danced around to face me and leaned up to whisper into my ear. "It'll be worth it." She laughed at my stunned expression as she took my hand and led me down the street again.

We made an odd pair. I dwarfed her, the top of her head just barely reaching my shoulders, her light brown, long and wavy hair a stark contrast to my jet-black spikes. She wore a plain black tee, denim shorts and sneakers, while I was forced to wear a thick overcoat with a hood, combat boots, jeans, and hand-wraps to hide my appearance. Luckily, it was always cold in the human cities...my appearance was nothing unusual.

She led me down an alley and to an outside staircase. She stopped beside it, and made to climb up. I watched her as she paused at the bottom step. "Is anything wrong?"

She turned to face me, an exaggerated pout on her face. "I don't want to..."

I laughed and scooped her into my arms. She threw my hood back, exposing my light purple-grey skin, pointed ears, fangs and jet-black eyes, and kissed me gently.

"Your too good to me." She nuzzled my neck, her skin like satin against mine.

I leapt into the air, jumped again off the side of the building about half-way up, and did another wall-jump off the opposite building to the top. Ten stories traversed in under a minute. When we landed, I smiled at her and let her down.

"I try." I glanced around the rooftop. "I am still not understanding..."

She sighed theatrically and grasped my hand, dragging me along again. "C'mon slow-poke!"

I stopped, and she continued to try and pull me along, with absolutely no hope of doing so. "What's the rush?"

Her brow furrowed as she turned to frown at me. "I want you so bad I can hardly stand it right now, that's the hurry, now c'mon!"

I let her pull me along, and she turned and grinned mischievously at my once-more stunned expression. I followed her across the rooftop, and soon discovered exactly where she was leading me. Ahead of us, across another rooftop, was a small garden. Beds of flowers, with meandering stone pathways and even a small pagoda carpeted the rooftop with a miniature paradise Mesmerized, I picked her up and leapt across the intervening space, dropping right into the middle of the small eden. I set her down and gazed about in awe.

"How?..." I gently grasped a small purple flower between my fingers, its star-shaped petals shockingly familiar.

Selena's smile was triumphant. "It's fey star, silly."

My wonderment was palpable. "But how? These flowers have been extinct for centuries. Everything here...it hasn't existed for aeons..."

She took my hand and brushed her lips against my knuckles. "It's all for you...for everything you've done for me..." She gazed up at me, her face sombre. "I can't ever begin to thank you enough Rafe. You saved me when no one else would."

I blinked rapidly to keep the moisture in my eyes from spilling over. I gently traced the contours of her cheek, along her jaw, down her neck. "Selena..."

She pressed her body against me, her fingers entwined in my hair, and our lips met as we both fell back into the garden, where everything outside of our happy existence simply ceased to be.

XXX

Selena finally stirred in my arms. Cocooned under some blankets on the small bed inside the pagoda, I was beginning to wonder when we were going to be leaving. Not that I was in any hurry to do so.

"Good evening." I gently leaned down and kissed her brow.

She smiled sleepily at me before snuggling closer. "Hey..."

I chuckled. "I wasn't aware that I had exhausted you so much."

One hazel eye glared up at me. "Shush you."

I leaned down and murmured into her ear. "As I seem to recall, you weren't complaining..."

She shivered and let out a soft moan. "Don't tempt me."

I chuckled and kissed her neck gently, where she sported several tiny marks where my bite had been just a little too forceful. She sighed and began to trace lightly along the black, swirling lines and whorls on the back of my hand.

"I love this tattoo." She lifted my arm at the wrist, and gently kissed along the lines as they led up my arm, along my bicep, up my shoulder, around my neck, and to where they finally ended at the edge of my jaw.

"It is an honor-mark. They are gifted to individuals who embody all it is to be Jaerel Kaih." I pulled her against my chest and kissed her hair.

She looked up at me. "So what did you do?"

"I can't tell you."

"Would you have to kill me if you told me?" She smirked up at me.

I laughed and laid back, and she followed, resting her head on my chest. She continued to question me, but I remained silent, until, at last, she began to drift off to sleep. When her breathing became deeper and more rhythmic, I gently laid her down onto the bed where we had exerted ourselves and threw on my jeans. I did a small shadow-step to the edge of the garden, and jumped up onto the parapet of the building. From my vantage point I could see the whole city, a twisted cityscape of rusted iron and decaying lumber, of leaning spires and fallen sky-scrapers. I gently tapped on a small bead embedded in the cartilage of my ear.

_Kit?_

A small, high-pitched and cheerful voice chirped through the bead. _Hello, dearest brother._

_You wouldn't happen to know anything about a garden, now would you?_

My sister's voice was all innocence. _Of course not._

_Of course not...I'm touched Kit, really. She couldn't have pulled this off without you._

_I'm not one to brag..._. I rolled my eyes.

_Thank you, really._

_Anytime BB._

I kneeled there for several minutes before I felt small, warm arms wrap around me, and felt lips press gently against my neck.

"I didn't give you permission to leave..." Selena murmured against my bare skin.

I raised an eyebrow. "Permission?"

I didn't have to turn to see the smile bloom across her face. "What if I wanted a round two?"

I turned and jumped down, leaning against the parapet, and pulled her against me. She had draped the bed-sheet around her slim and curvaceous form, which did little except increase my desire. "Then I may just have to humor you..." As I kissed along her jawline and down her neck, she sighed raggedly, her breathing becoming more and more erratic...

A wall of sound hit us, a screaming torrent of noise that slammed against us like a physical wave. Selena looked past me, and her face went white. I turned in time to watch one building after another shake apart and fall. Behind them, a plume of fire rose into the sky.

Selena gasped, her eyes unfocused. "That was..."

I snarled in frustration and pain as I felt my fangs lengthen in response to my agitation. "Parliament." I sucked in a breath and felt my secondary vocal cords kick in as I howled. "Ifrit!"

The double-timbre of my voice echoed across the cityscape in several frequencies, some inaudible to humans, and within seconds a man materialized at my side. Clad in jeans, his bare chest was purple-grey, and his spiked mane of bleach-white hair exposed pointed ears. Behind his shaggy forelocks, black eyes glittered like onyx, and his perfectly white smile was full of pointed and serrated teeth.

"Yes?" His voice held hints of mischief as he regarded me with bemusement.

I didn't bother to answer, but instead pointed past him towards the ruined cityscape. He followed my gaze, and his expression changed to one of alarm.

"Well...that could be problematic."

I raised an eyebrow. "Indeed." I turned my attention back to Selena and gently sat her down on a bed of fey stars.

She was still ghostly white, and she seemed to be having trouble breathing...it was so unsettling, seeing just how frail she really was.

"Selena..." she looked past me, not really seeing.

"Selena!" I cupped her chin and turned her to face me. Her eyes locked on mine. "I need you to stay here Selena."

She shook her head furiously as she threatened to break into hysterics. "You can't go..."

I smiled, but I knew she would see through the ruse. On some impulse, I plucked a fey star from the beds around us and tucked it behind her ear. "I will come back for you." I gently kissed her brow before turning to Ifrit. He nodded once before disappearing in a wisp of darkness, and I followed close behind with a shadow-step of my own...

It took me a hundreth of a second to absorb the details of my new surroundings. Ifrit stood before me, his body rigid. Before us stood the burning husk of the Parliament building, the former seat of human government. A one-hundred-and-fifty story high edifice of white marble and glass, the Parliament building was the crown jewel of the latest human capital, a monument to democracy and freedom. Now, it was only a matter of time until it was little more than a pile of fancy rubble. Humans ran about in confusion around us, while more clad in simple black and grey uniforms with a white fist plastered across their chests gunned them down with high-tech, military issue weapons. Ifrit snarled before leaping at the nearest soldier. He landed upon the man's shoulders, and the unfortunate human folded beneath him with several snaps and cracks. The next closest was lifted off the ground and used as a living projectile, knocking an incoming missile off course and into another building.

"The latest empire crumbles Rafe. We are not needed here." Ifrit's expression was livid, and his body reflected his mood. His fangs had extended to the point where speech was distorted, and the black of his iris' had expanded to fill his entire eye.

I shook my head and moved almost imperceptibly to dodge a stray bullet. "This feels different my friend...I feel it in my bones. The human behind the coup, we must find him."

Ifrit lashed out at another soldier in frustration. The man flew into another of his brethren before colliding with an APC. "Let the humans have their wars! Their fate is their own, I am an observer, not a guardsman!"

As if to punctuate his point, the APC's turret turned and fired a round straight at an unsuspecting Ifrit. The detonation obscured him in smoke, but within seconds he strode out, unharmed, shaking stray strands of hair from his eyes. With whispered words from the Kaih language, a blade materialized in his hands. Made from a glittering black metal, he whirled it around once before shadow-stepping on top of the tank. Without a word, he plunged the weapon down towards the hatch. It sliced through like through air, and within seconds the entire turret of the APC was a cleanly dissected husk. Four human soldiers fled from the wreckage...they did not go far.

Ifrit shadow-stepped back beside me again, wiping his blade clean with a cloth he had produced from a pocket on his jeans. "Humans...stupid creatures." The slaughter seemed to have calmed him slightly. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.

I understood his meaning instantly. "Go, cripple their armour, cut off their retreat, I want as many of them stranded here for questioning as possible.

With a final nod, Ifrit vanished into darkness. I walked towards the shattered Parliament building unopposed, the human soldiers scattering from me as soon as I came into view. I shadow-stepped up onto the third floor, where a gigantic chunk had been torn from the building, exposing the interior offices to the elements. The building swayed slightly...severely unstable. I stepped lightly through the ruined offices, taking little notice of the scattered, scorched remains of the human workers. As I made my way through the building, I came to one of the central pillars, exposed by the force of the blast, a gigantic hole blown in the floor straight to the basement surrounding it. From far below, a faint beep reached my ears, followed by another several seconds later. Curiosity overcame my better judgment, and I jumped down, landing a split second later. The basement was in ruins, with chunks of rubble scattered everywhere. The beeping increased in volume and speed as I pin-pointed its location. I followed the intermittent noise until I came to the main pillar. The massive slab of concrete, re-bar and ceramics rose high into the air, presumably all the way to the top of the massive government sky-scraper. It appeared mostly unscathed so far as I could tell, but it seemed whomever had sought to bring the Parliament down had for-seen this event, because the titanic support was ringed with explosives, the grey slabs of volatile plastics connected by wires to a single detonator. Upon the detonator, a single timer counted down the final seconds. I whirled around, willing my body to move faster than it ever had before, to jump through the Void in the split-second I had left.

In the instant I felt my body begin to pass through that twilight realm, the blast struck me, and the darkness, instead of passing away, grew deeper, until I sank into unconsciousness.

XXX

I awoke to gunfire, screams and the scent of burning flesh. Through the confusion, a voice reached me.

"I hope you realize, I am never letting you live this down. Passing out in a fight against humans...priceless."

I opened my eyes to see Ifrit standing over me, a smirk upon his face. I surveyed my surroundings as he offered a hand and hauled me to my feet. I had made the jump outside the of the basement and ended up away from the building as it fell. The Parliament was in ruins, a burning pile of rubble, the greatest symbol of human order and industry now a monolithic reminder that every empire, no matter how great, falls.

Ifrit regarded me curiously. "No retort?"

I growled, the sound low in my throat. "Not now Ifrit..." I glanced around again. "No resistance?"

Ifrit chuckled. "Their retreat was cut off, they had no where to run. Nothing in this city will face us."

I grimaced. "Then why is there gunfire?" I jerked a thumb behind me, towards where the sound of fighting was coming from.

Ifrit shrugged. "The humans fight amongst themselves, it is not unusual. Loyalists, defending the old regime."

I shook my head, clearing the last bits of grogginess from my system, and shadow-stepped up on top of a nearby building, chaining jumps until I reached where the gunfire was originating. I looked down, to the streets below, and I felt a strange mix of emotions grip me.

I had no love for humans, save one notable exception. Individuals could be capable of great things, Selena was proof positive of that, but as a whole, humanity is a writhing morass of corruption, good for nothing, not even to grovel at my feet. But the scene that played out in the streets of their ruined city chilled even me. The rebels were herding civilians out into the streets, hauling them out of their homes and gunning them down if they resisted. They were separated, men on one side, women and children on the other. The men were forced to kneel, hands behind their head, facing towards their families. Their loved ones were then moved before them, and the soldiers took up their positions, two or three standing behind each family, and one by each man. I listened in, as several soldiers carrying pistols walked between the two groups, handing each man a single weapon.

"Now, you have three options my friends." one soldier, who I assumed to be the commanding officer of the group, announced. "One: You take that pistol, you kill your wife and kids, then you stick it in your mouth and blow your own brains out. Quick, painless, easy. Two: You take that pistol, you refuse to use it. We do whatever we want, and take as long as we want." The soldier paused as he walked by one young girl, no older than sixteen, and laughed. "We make you watch, then we blow your brains out." As the soldier continued on his walk, the man whom he had just handed a weapon lunged forward, pistol blazing. He clipped one of the commander's subordinates before being shot dozens of times by several different soldiers, the rounds jerking his corpse in a gruesome jig before falling to the ground. His wife and the young girl, presumably his daughter, were both carried off by the soldiers into the abandoned building that I was atop. Their tortured screams soon reached my ears, even from my high perch.

The commander looked around at the assembled men. "And that was a demonstration of option three: You take the pistol, you shoot us, we shoot you, and then we do what we please with your pretty daughters and wives anyway. Choose wisely, my friends." The commander finished his rounds, handing out pistols to every last man on the street. When he reached the end of the line, he whispered some orders to a subordinate before disappearing into a small camp set up at the end of the street.

The subordinate's voice rang clear. "You have 30 seconds. Choose."

I watched, horrified, as one shot, then another, then another rang out, as tortured men murdered their loved ones as a mercy, before bringing the weapons to bear on themselves. Some refused and were shot, their screaming families pried from the corpse of a father or husband and then tortured or raped and killed. My horror was quickly replaced by a white-hot fury. I spoke words of summoning, words that brought a blade bound to my very soul into my hand, its essence an extension of my will. The blade was made from a black metal that seemed to drink in light around it, and at times it appeared insubstantial, like smoke dissipating in the wind. The hilt was made from blackened steel wrapped in gold wire, the ends of the cross-guards embedded with small rubies, and a large, polished chunk of onyx adorned the pommel. I whirled the blade in my hand, testing its balance. Absolutely perfect. With a final flourish, I leapt from the building into the street. The momentum from my fall shattered the pavement around me in a six-foot radius, sending a handful of unfortunate soldiers flying through the air. I felt my fangs growing, and my eyesight sharpening as the rush of combat drove my predatory instincts into a frenzy. I bared my teeth in a snarl and shadow-stepped towards the nearest soldier. With a single diagonal swipe, I clove the man in two, his vitae spraying in all directions. His scream ended in a gurgling death rattle, and as he fell to the ground, I howled my challenge, my voice taking on the double-timbre of an enraged and blood-thirsty Jaerel Kaih warrior.

"Face me humans, and face your extinction!".

The soldiers opened fire, and I shadow-stepped out of the way and behind a soldier at the rear of the pack. His chest erupted as my blade drove through his back and out his sternum, and with a flick, I clove through him and the human standing next to him. As they turned to fire upon me at my new location, I shadow-stepped again, this time on their left flank, and tore apart three more soldiers before they relocated me. I whittled away at them in this way, thinning their ranks until at last they began to flee, first in ones and twos, and then entire squads. I cut them down as the fled, dancing between them, using their fear to keep them from rallying against me. In the end, one-hundred thirty-seven human soldiers lay in pieces in the street, their blood draining away into the sewers in torrents. I stood, crimson liquid spattered across my pale skin, surrounded by human civilians who cowered just at the sight of me.

Slowly, my fangs retracted enough to speak. I looked every man I could see in the eye as I addressed them. "Go now, you are free."

The men departed with the remnants of their families, some murmuring thanks, others holding their loved ones close as they passed. As the last of them made their way out of sight, Ifrit appeared at my side in a wisp of darkness.

"Anything to report?"

Ifrit looked me over as he answered. "No, but you look like you have a story to tell."

"Later. Is there any resistance left?"

Ifrit's expression became grim. "Whoever organized this coup knew exactly what they were doing. They're well trained, ex-military I would imagine, maybe some rebellious elements of those currently serving. They've taken over the armoury and secured the remains of the Parliament. They had the delegates slated for execution, but I managed to save a few." Ifrit gestured behind me, where a helicopter was taking off and heading south.

"Apparently the resistance has set up some kind of base to the south" Ifrit shouted over whirring of the blades and the roar of the engines. "They're mounting a counter-offensive as we speak."

"Good for them...we're leaving." I started to turn, but Ifrit gripped my shoulder.

"Rafe...their asking for Jaeral Kaih aid. They want a task-force to cripple the enemy command."

I looked into my friend's eyes. "Absolutely not." I shook his shoulder off and shoved past him, to the north, to Selena.

"Rafe..." Ifrit began. "Rafe!"

I whirled around to face him. "Wasn't it you that demanded why we must fight for them? Wasn't it? Humanity's squabbles are not my concern. When we volunteered for this, we vowed to interfere only to combat threats to our people. My task is done, I have seen nothing that indicates there is a threat to the Jaerel Kaih here. We are leaving."

Ifrit fell quiet at last and fell in step behind me. I shadow-stepped out of the street and to the top of a nearby building, jumping from roof-top to roof-top, traversing the cityscape at high-speed towards the garden where my love waited.

Even now I don't know exactly what happened. As we reached the apartment complex across the street from the garden, something roared overhead, the sound driving Ifrit and I to our knees. I watched in horror as a human cruise missiles slammed into the city all around us. One such missile flew straight into the building across from us.

"Selena!" My tortured scream was the last sound that reached my ears before a roiling ball of fire threw me into the air.

**Angelic Sovereign: Oh noz! I hope that was an entertaining walk through the dark places in my mind from where this story sprang. Later guys!**


	4. Chapter IV

**Angelic Sovereign: Hello all! Still on a writing kick...it helps that this chapter was half-done anyway, but that's another story. Just to keep things simple, italicized words are a translation of the Jaerel Kaih language (which I'm still in the process of working on...crafting a language from scratch is quite difficult). You guys know the drill: read, review and enjoy!**

Rafe scratched idly under his chin, the phase-cuffs around his wrists making the simple task difficult. Jaerel Kaih prisoners are kept under the highest surveillance, while the greatest of man's inventions keep them locked away and powerless...at least in theory.

Strong electro-magnetic currents disrupt the Jaerel Kaih's ability to phase in and out of reality, anchoring their skeletal structure in the physical world. While a Void-Walker could theoretically force themselves to phase while contained by such a field, they would almost certainly die as they shifted their bodily tissues off of their skeleton. Hence, Rafe's cuffs constantly emitted a minimum of ten-thousand volts of electricity, and the room itself was fortified with coils inside the walls that continuously had hundreds of thousands of volts coursing through them. This single interrogation room used as much power as a small city.

I watched, through the one-way glass window, as Rafe stood up from his chair. The room was practically bare, empty stone walls with no windows save the one, a reinforced door, and a table with two chairs. Rafe paced back in forth in front of the window. It was so surreal. He had been described to me so many times...I had spent my entire child-hood memorizing ever detail, every facet of him, and then to finally see him untouched by time...when I first saw his face as they brought him in, the angular, inhumanly beautiful face of a perfect predator...it was exactly as I had imagined.

I was startled by a hand on my shoulder. "You ok?"

I turned to see the guard captain, Marcus, his scarred and battered face a mask of concern. I smiled slightly. "I'm fine...its just an odd feeling, to finally meet him."

Marcus' expression turned grim. "Absolutely not. I can't let you in there with that thing."

I laughed aloud at the human mountain that towered over me. "Really Marcus? My mother spent years researching the Jaerel Kaih culture...I'll be safer in a room with him than you!"

His stony glare didn't budge. I sighed heavily as I took his rough hands. "Marcus, I've had a long time to prepare for this...I can handle it."

The old warhound shook his head. "I'm sorry Alexandra, but no." With that, Marcus opened the door and walked back into the interrogation room, a stack of folders under his arm.

Rafe's voice crackled over the intercom, distorted by interference. "Welcome back captain. I was beginning to wonder if you had forgotten about me."

Marcus chuckled humorlessly. "Forget about you Rafe?...Never." The captain sat down, and gestured towards the empty chair across from him.

Rafe stood where he was, defiant. Marcus sighed heavily as he reached into a pocket and produced a tiny remote. He pressed a button, and there was a loud buzzing, followed by Rafe staggering and falling to the floor. Marcus had upped the power coursing through Rafe's phase-cuffs to where they would actually be painful. The buzzing continued as he twitched and quivered in silent agony, until Marcus thumbed the remote again. All at once, Rafe stopped, his breathing heavy and uneven.

Marcus gave the command again. "Sit."

Rafe picked himself unsteadily off the floor and sat down in the chair, subdued.

"Good." Marcus leafed through the folders he had brought with him. "Rafe, I-"

Rafe suddenly lunged forward, his chained hands beneath the table. "Tell me captain, how long do you think you can hold me here?"

Marcus opened his mouth to speak, but Rafe cut him off again. "I orders, captain, specific orders to intervene in human affairs when necessary, orders that your government approved." He leaned back, leisurely, a smirk on his face. "I am a free agent here, you have no authority to hold me. Soon you will have the appropriate paperwork, and I will walk out of this building."

Marcus' face turned several different colors, from flesh-colored to red to purple. He seemed to struggle for his words for several seconds before stating slowly and levelly.

"I think we're done for now, Rafe." He stood up sharply before stomping out and slamming shut the door. The lock clanked audibly. I turned and watched as Marcus strode out of the room, his face a mask of anger. I sighed heavily; Rafe had inadvertently made my job that much harder. I turned back towards the glass.

I let out a gasp as I gazed into a pair of glittering black eyes, his face centimeters from the window. His long, pointed ears twitched at the sound as he tilted his head in puzzlement.

He tapped the glass with a slender, pale finger. He spoke, and although I could not hear him, I read his lips. _ Why do you hide from me, laera?_

I glanced between the inhumanly beautiful face before me and the closed door leading to the rest of the compound for several seconds before I made my decision. I pressed the button on the intercom.

"I'm not hiding...and I'm not your dear one either Rafe."

The face behind the glass raised it's eyebrow infinitesimally. _I'm impressed. There are very few humans that know anything of the Jaerel Kaih tongue._

I smiled in spite of myself. "I was raised in the north of Illika, in a small village. I feel more at ease among the Void Walkers than my own kind."

The face smiled. Jaerel Kaih learned the social mannerism of smiling from humans, and so the gesture was unnatural to them. His bared fangs were more intimidating than reassuring. _What is your name, human?_

I hesitated for an instant. I hoped he wouldn't notice. "Alexandra."

_Alexandra..._. He appeared to savor the name as it rolled off his lips. His onyx eyes met mine, all humour gone. _You and I both know why your here; I represent an unprecedented opportunity for your culture to study mine. I would prefer we did so before the good captain returns._

"I can't do that Rafe..." I really, really wanted to though...

Jaerel Kaih are the most perfect predators on the face of Penumbra. That having been said, they are excellent manipulators. That's what I kept telling myself as his gorgeous face, beautiful dark eyes luminous, his lips twisted up into a half-smirk, took my breath away. _Please, Alexandra?..._

I sighed, before picking up my notes off a small desk. "Fifteen minutes, Rafe, no more."

If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn I saw real joy in those jet-black eyes. I made my way to the door as Rafe sat back down, leaning back in his chair, eyes closed. I reached for the door-handle, but stopped. What if I triggered his memories? The results would be quite agonizing...and dangerous. There was no telling how he would react to the sudden flood of emotions. My mother assured me that the chances of such an occurrence were low, but the risk was still there.

I was open with myself: I had a fascination bordering on infatuation with Rafe. Was I allowing such an obsession to interfere with my better judgment?

The Jaerel Kaih have a saying: The Void has many paths, take the one less-traveled. Their society revolves around the ideas of individuality, freedom, independence...I was raised with them, and their society's ideals had heavily influenced me. Maybe I was doing this for personal reasons...but it was my choice to make. I turned the handle and strode into the room.

Rafe didn't open his eyes, but his body shifted ever so slightly. His muscles tensed and his nostrils flared before composing himself once again.

"I must say, Alexandra...your scent is most pleasant. Familiar..."

I froze. My heart pounded wildly beneath my ribs as I tried to slow my heart rate. The rush of blood would be clearly audible to Rafe in such an enclosed area. I sat down casually across from him and set my notes down on the table, hoping he wouldn't notice my elevated pulse.

He smirked before leaning forward. He had definitely heard. "Do I frighten you, laera? I promise, I'm not so dangerous as-" He stopped, mid-sentence, as he saw me for the first time. His dark eyes scanned every inch of my face before gazing into mine. He stood up and walked over to me, every movement fluid, efficient, perfect. His hand, seemingly of its own accord, come up to brush my cheek, slowly and gently.

"I know this face..." His expression was brooding, but calm.

I blushed under his hand, and internally cursed my bodily functions. "I look like my mother...so I'm told."

His eyes flashed back to mine, all warmth, all tenderness gone. His hand trembled and fell, and he staggered back, gripping the table for support, gouging deep grooves into the surface.

"Rafe..." I stood up, reaching towards him slowly, gingerly.

His eyes stared past me, glazed over. He fell to the ground, convulsing, snarling, as the barriers in his mind fell away.

The life of the average Jaerel Kaih spans centuries. The oldest recorded age of a Jaerel Kaih warrior was three-thousand eight-hundred fifty-three years old. A human mind begins to fray before one-hundred, much less the eons that the Void Walkers live...and so at some point during their genesis, the Jaerel Kaih brain developed the ability to lock away their memories. Any memory that is not of critical importance in everyday life is filed away, and particularly painful or traumatic memories are hidden in their subconscious mind, thereby insuring their sanity for the ages before them. A Jaerel Kaih can access their memories at anytime, but those that are locked away are much less likely to resurface. Only a sufficiently strong stimulus can bring them back.

Rafe finally lay still, panting, as he choked out a single word.

"Selena..."

There was a metallic bang behind me as an iron bar wrapped around my waist and began hauling me back towards the door.

Marcus cut a dashing figure in his battle-gear, one arm pulling me from danger as he wielded his rifle with one hand, the barrel aimed square at Rafe. "Stay on the ground Rafe."

Rafe's eyes were already entirely jet-black, and his fangs were already to the point where speech was heavily distorted. I watched, mesmerized. I had read about the phenomenon countless times, but I had never witnessed it for myself. His second set of vocal chords kicked in, and his voice took on a double-timbre, buzzing and low and full of menace.

"She. Stays." The words were thick, choked out by a mouth filled with razor-sharp, serrated fangs.

Marcus started to back towards the door, and everything seemed to happen at once. There was a rush of movement from Rafe, followed by a deafening crash of noise from next to me. Rafe staggered, howling in pain, and Marcus threw me through the open door before running through and slamming it shut. No sooner had it locked than the door rattled than Rafe slammed into it. Dents were already beginning to form as he hammered against the barrier, snarling, all semblance of humanity gone.

A jerk on my collar forced me to look away. Marcus had his weapon trained on the door, his expression resolute. "Go!"

I picked myself up and hurtled out of the observation room and tearing down the wide corridor that greeted me. Warning klaxons were going off all around me, and I watched as a squad of guards came around the corner. One detached from the group as the rest hurried to the interrogation room.

"What's going on? Where's Captain Marcus?" The soldier shook me by my shoulders roughly.

"I..I don't..." I stammered, bewildered. "I don't know where-"

There was a howl, more animal than human, followed by gunshots and panicked shouts. The guard let go of me and ran down the hall, weapon at the ready. As he reached the door, a dark shape pounced, black blade in hand, and eviscerated the unfortunate man. I watched, horrified, as the figure turned to face me.

Rafe's eyes came to rest upon me, his face beyond human expression. All that stood before me was a monster, fangs jutting over lips spattered with blood, midnight blade in hand, hunched over and snarling, but as I watched, he straightened, his fangs receded, and his eyes cleared. His whispered a few words in Jaerel Kaih that I didn't recognize, and his blade evaporated. He strode towards me, and I stumbled back.

"Please, Rafe, I didn't, I couldn't-"

He disappeared in a wisp of darkness, and materialized before me, his face neutral. I screamed and scrambled back, but his hand flashed out and grabbed my arm with such strength that I could feel the bones grinding together under the muscle. He hauled me up to gaze into my eyes and I froze, afraid even to breath while this supremely powerful being seemed to search the deepest depths of my soul. We stood like that, human and Void-Walker, for several seconds before the silence was shattered.

Rafe spoke a single, murmured word as he dropped my arm. The limb throbbed. "Why?"

That single word was loaded with so many emotions it was hard to identify them all. Sorrow was the main constituent, with a heavy undercurrent of anger and hate...but below all that, buried so deep I almost didn't believe it was there, was hope.

His eyes glistened as I spoke. "Rafe..." I gently reached up, and without knowing why, brushed his cheek, sweeping some stray strands of hair away from his face.

In a lighting-quick movement, his hand touched mine, and he held my hand against his cheek, tenderly but firmly. Tears spilled down his cheeks. "Why?"

I opened my mouth to answer him, but as I gazed into his eyes, I caught a glimpse of movement on the edge of my vision. A group of soldiers were moving behind us, silent, weapons at the ready. I stepped closer to Rafe, one hand still against his cheek. He pressed his forehead against mine, intimately. His chilled breath blew across my face, and his frigid skin was several degrees cooler than the air around us. I wrapped one arm around his waist, and he held me close. The soldiers halted, and I waved the hand behind Rafe's back at them. They seemed to catch the hint, and stayed where they were.

I gently brushed his hair again. "Rafe, I'm sorry...."

He shook his head. "Don't." The corner of his mouth twitched up into a half-smile. "There is nothing to forgive."

One of the soldiers behind us shifted position, and there was a clink of metal on metal. Rapidly, Rafe whirled around, his arms outstretched as if to protect me, fangs bared, black eyes flashing.

"No!" I tried to pull Rafe back, but I may as well have been trying to move a statue. He snarled, and the soldiers raised their weapons, fingers on the trigger. I finally managed to squirm past Rafe's outstretched arms and face him.

"Rafe, please, just...no more."

His flat-black, predatory gaze swept over me swiftly. He snarled, his visage terrifying. "You would side with them? Force me back into a cage like an animal?"

I shook my head swiftly, hoping to calm him. I was beginning to get a little agitated. "No. If you didn't resist in the first place you wouldn't be in this predicament, would you?"

Rafe fangs were slowly receding, but he didn't let up his aggressive stance. "I won't go anywhere without you." His tone brooked no argument. A handful of soldiers stepped forward, but a low growl from Rafe had them stepping back.

I sighed wearily. "Fine." I motioned, and the soldiers came forward. One of them grabbed Rafe by the shoulder and shoved him forward. Rafe let him, but another snarl ripped from his throat. I walked beside him, and on some impulse, I took his frigid hand. He stiffened, but accepted the contact.

The soldiers took us deeper into the complex, leading us through a labyrinthine network of corridors before finally arriving at a plain door, just like the dozens of other doors we had passed. I was incredibly lost. The soldier's threw open the door. Inside was an interrogation room just like the one we had left, but this one, ironically enough, had a cage.

Rafe took one look before rounding on me. His gaze could have burned through steel.

"Rafe, I'm right here. I'll _be _right here."

A soldier shoved Rafe forward, which did little except enrage the Jaerel Kaih warrior. He gripped the outstretched arm and pulled forward, bringing the elbow of his other arm up. The blow struck the soldier full in the face, and there was a sickening crack as he dropped to the floor, neck broken. There was the clack of bullets being slid into chambers. Rafe whirled just in time to catch a single round to the shoulder. Jaerel Kaih skin is laced with metallic fibers, the only materials strong enough to survive the immense gravity of the nearby neutron star: small-caliber bullets and glancing shots from long range by high-powered rifles would either do minimal damage or simply ricochet off. However, at such close-range, using an assault rifle, the round penetrated his resilient hide as easily as human tissues. He howled, the volume and pitch high enough to cause everyone in earshot, including myself, to fall to the ground in pain. He staggered back, and three brave (or especially stupid) soldiers sprang into action. One of them ran to the instrument panel, opened and energized the cage. The other two planted a kick into Rafe's chest, shoving the stunned and wounded Void-Walker into the specially-built holding-cell before slamming it shut.

Bright, scarlet fluid poured from Rafe's wound, but he didn't seem to feel the pain as he threw himself against the walls of the cage over and over, the electrified bars sparking and spitting. He screamed in Jaerel Kaih, words that I couldn't make out or understand, completely given over to his hate and rage, to the savagery that his people were known for.

"Rafe, stop!" I stood as close to the cell as I dared, hoping that he would calm down enough to be reasoned with...

He looked me in the eye and spat out a string of words in his guttural language that made my blood run cold. _I don't take orders from a human whore!_

I jerked, as if I'd been slapped. I felt the blood rushing to my face as I stared at the blood-spattered warrior before me. I turned to the nearest soldier in a daze. "Can he be kept here?"

The soldier nodded. "Indefinitely. Wounded as he is, he won't be able to tear his way out like he did earlier."

"Then he stays." I looked at Rafe, who had stopped thrashing in his cage. His fangs had receded, and his eyes had returned to their normal state. His purple-grey skin was paler than usual, and stained with his own scarlet blood. He seemed slightly unsteady, and he gazed at me with a mixture of curiosity and hopefulness. I levelly returned his stare.

"Goodbye Rafe." I turned, and strode straight out of the room.

Even separated by layers of steel, I still heard Rafe as he howled, raging against his imprisonment. But it was only after I translated his scream that I felt anything except anger.

_No! Don't leave me!_

_Not again..._

**Angelic Sovereign: I hope that was satisfactory. I was up unto the wee hours of the morn writin this =D. I'll have the next chapter up asap!**


	5. Chapter V

**Angelic Sovereign: Not much to say, just trying to get back into the swing of things. Read and enjoy!**

"Hey, Alexandra...we're going to need you in debriefing in a few. Sorry to wake you.", a voice crackled over the intercom.

Groaning as I rolled over, I peered blearily at the clock near my bed. It read 3:43 AM. I fought the urge to pull on my hair and scream into my pillow.

Morning rituals were never a big issue with me, even as a young girl. I got up, took a quick shower, threw on whatever looked comfortable, dabbed a little make-up on, put my hair in a ponytail and out the door I went. And so it was today. I crawled out of bed, peeling off my nightshirt before jumping into the shower and cranking the warm water. I shivered in the cold spray for a few seconds before the water heater kicked in, and I soaked for a few minutes before climbing out and putting on some old jeans, a long-sleeve tee and a black jacket. Glancing at myself in the mirror, I groaned.

I was a mess. My dark brown hair was all over the place from tossing and turning in a fitful sleep, and starting to frizz. Sighing as I pulled it into a messy ponytail, I dabbed on what little make-up I wore, rubbed my light green eyes a few times so I didn't look quite so much like a zombie, and headed back into the room for my things. My desk was a cluttered mess, and finding the presentation I needed was a lot like digging through a musty old chest in an attic. I even found things I didn't know I'd lost! Eventually I found my notes, dragged them out from underneath a pile of sketchbooks and scribbled-on napkins, and darted out the door as it slid shut behind me.

The city guard had been kind enough to arrange for me to stay in the command post, away from the rank and file, as the long trip to Illica would have been pointless to make, seeing as I would probably have been needed here before I'd made it home. In the few weeks I had been here, I had learned the ins and outs of the complex. The long, winding, identical corridors weren't quite so hard to navigate as before. Before I knew it, I was entering the captain's tac room.

The door slid open to reveal a wide, open space with a large crescent-shaped table at the heart. A podium stood at the mouth of the crescent, and behind it, a large screen. There were small chairs against the wall opposite from the door, and this is where I sat. I wasn't late, but I wasn't early, and most of the chairs were full, as well as the center table. High-ranking guards and military officials occupied the table, and I was surprised to see Marcus there, his arm and shoulder still in a sling from Rafe's brutal attack.

Thinking of Rafe made me frown. In the six weeks since his little rampage, and I hadn't once seen him. I had no contact with him whatsoever. And yet...

I brushed a stray strand of hair and tucked it behind my ear. I had thought that the time I had spent apart from Rafe would have helped me to sort out my thoughts. But when it came to the Void Walker, I was completely unsure of my feelings. Part of me was fascinated by him. Another part, infuriated. He was just so...

I happened to look down at the clipboard in my lap, and was mortified to see I had been idly drawing in the margins. A pair of intense eyes, the iris' black, stared out at me. I scribbled over them hastily, just as Marcus rose from his chair and stood at the podium. He cleared his throat once, and a hush descended over the assembled officials as he spoke.

"Welcome. I've called this little meeting today, to address a...sensitive..issue." He gestured at the screen behind him with his uninjured arm, and it lit up from behind.

A map of Penumbra. The human territories were vast, covering nearly a third of the world. To the south, various rival factions, the Daevas and the Grigori, and many others, squabbled over land, and entered into light border disputes with our own people. The west was largely unexplored, a desolate place, ruined by radiation and eons-old debris....the Outlands. To the east, the fathomless oceans, never crossed. However, it was to the north that Marcus drew our attention. The lands of the Void Walkers.

"The Jaerel Kaih have always been content to stay well out of human affairs, aside from occasional 'agents' operating in human territory to assess threats to their own kin. This was laid down centuries ago, between the first human emperor Arthus, and the Void Walker warlord, Azazel, during the last Settler's War."

Someone near the podium, a high-ranking dignitary from the east, spoke up. "A history lesson is all well and good, Captain, but what is your point?"

Marcus fixed the man with a cold stare. "The Kaih outlive us by hundreds of years. Everything concerning them, concerns history." The man deflated, and Marcus continued. "We have in our custody now, one of those agents, a Void Walker by the name of Rafe."

A military officer spoke, his nasally voice surprising coming from a man so obviously successful as a warrior. "No surname, or place of birth?" I smiled slightly. Someone knew their enemy.

"He has chosen to give us neither, and since the creature has a form of diplomatic immunity, we cannot pry the information from him. We are allowed to defend ourselves, and detain dissidents until their government contacts us. Any further action is to be considered an act of war."

At that comment, the room went eerily quiet. It had been thousands of years since the last all out war with the Jaerel Kaih. We were still rebuilding.

Marcus' voice was grim. "As it is, it would seem war is being thrust upon us-"

The room immediately burst into chaos. Dignitaries were calling out in incensed, terrified voices, while the city guard and military tried to calm them. The consultants and scholars like myself sat quietly, although our reactions were no less severe. My blood chilled at the thought. The Void Walkers had almost ground us into extinction before. Could we survive another war?

There was a loud whining, buzzing noise, shrill and grating, and the room fell silent again as everyone winced and plugged their ears. Marcus fiddled with his throat mike, a little smug.

"Everyone calm down. The Jaerel Kaih want Rafe returned to them unharmed, and as soon as possible, both demands that we can easily meet. In fact, I have two people here to help me do just that." Marcus beamed in my direction, at about the same time I felt a little tremor of fear run down my spine. "Alexandra St. Claire, the brilliant young woman leading the field in the study of our friends to the north."

I sat there, fiddling with the pocket of my jacket, feeling suddenly and horribly under-dressed, as Marcus beckoned me up to where he was standing. I made my way to the podium, feeling every pair of eyes in the room on me as I did. I resisted the urge to bolt out the door.

I thought Marcus was going to have me speak, but as I reached him, a guard directed me behind him, and slightly to the left. I stood, curious, but grateful to be out of sight.

Marcus smiled at me briefly before turning to address the group. "I have another..guest." I frowned at the slight pause and emphasis he put on the word 'guest'. "I present Ifrit, of Belphagor, who was kind enough to volunteer to bring the detainee Rafe home."

I watched as every pair of eyes followed Marcus' gaze to the door opposite his podium, which slid open to reveal one of the powerful, dangerous, inhuman and beautiful Void Walkers.

It didn't take me long to guess that Ifrit and Rafe probably had some sort of friendship, or at least a partnership. Ifrit had the same swagger, the same charming, infuriating manner, but in his eyes I didn't see the dark stoicism that I expected, but a twinkle of mischief. The man was a rogue, the gentleman thief that would steal your wealth and your woman with wit and sophistication. He was dressed simply, in black pants, a tight-fitting black shirt, and a long black jacket that he had left open. The sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, exposing hard, snake-like muscle under his pale, purple-grey skin. A choker held a sizeable diamond flanked by small blood-red rubies at his throat. His hair was shockingly white, and long, slender spikes fanned out in all directions, almost covering his pointed ears. A toss of his head threw them away from his face, which had the same sharp, perfect features as Rafe, although Ifrit's were a little less severe. It made him look more human...more approachable. I could see why the Jaerel Kaih had sent him.

Ifrit stayed near the back of the room, well away from the humans, whose expression ranged anywhere from surprise to anger to outright terror. If he had a mind, he could slaughter every soul in this room and walk out without breaking a sweat. When he spoke, it surprised me. His voice was soft, like silk. It lacked the harsh bite that Rafe always seemed to possess.

"Thank you Marcus." He bowed his head for a moment, which Marcus grudgingly returned. "I'm afraid I can't tarry here. The Elders are rather anxious to have our brother returned. I must admit, I miss his wonderful companionship myself."

I stifled a giggle, while everyone else in the room stared, unsure if the creature was joking or not. Jaerel Kaih body cues were wildly different from human ones. Ifrit's expression and the pitch in his voice did not change when he uttered his caustic remark, but his posture and the slight twitch of his neck gave it away as what it was: sarcasm. However, no one else did, and the tension in the room was rapidly thickening.

The military officer from before rose from his seat, and walked directly to Ifrit. His dark skin was a stark contrast to the almost ethereal Ifrit. He inclined his head, as Ifrit held out his hand. The officer gripped Ifrit's arm with his opposite one, his hand resting a little past halfway between Ifrit's hand and elbow. He bowed his head, as Ifrit watched curiously.

"I give you honor, Ifrit of Belphagor. I am Anthony, son of Rodell." He did not raise his head as he spoke. As they stood, I idly noticed a small tattoo on the back of Ifrit's hand.

Ifrit was expressionless for a moment, before his face lit up in a grin. A human gesture that the Void Walkers mimicked for our benefit, as a sign of reassurance or good-will. Ifrit bowed his head before speaking, his voice holding exaggerated admiration, again, for human benefit. "And I return it, Anthony, son of Rodell. It pleases me to see a warrior of your calibre among the mortal races."

The pair lifted their heads, dropped each others arms with a nod, and Anthony returned to his seat without saying another word. I sighed, not realizing I had been holding my breath. Anthony and Ifrit both were clearly consummate ambassadors as well as warriors. The tension in the room melted away.

Marcus fumbled for an instant, searching for something meaningful to say. "Ifrit...you represent your people's interests. Are those interests satisfied?"

Ifrit was still grinning, although the amount of time he was extending it, combined with his mouthful of razor-sharp fangs, had made it more of a leer. "They are, Captain." For the first time, his black eyes swiveled to me, and I gasped. The bored into mine, all pretenses of mischief gone. I forgot the elation in the room, the fact that war was averted. I forgot everything but those black orbs, gazing at me from across the gap.

His voice was flat, but his body told me everything I needed to know. He was agitated. "Would the lady Alexandra be kind enough to show me where my brother resides?"

Marcus, blissfully ignorant of the fact that this supremely dangerous being was angry with me, nodded as he continued to address the assembled officers with some other agenda. I walked slowly over to Ifrit, who nodded a terse greeting before striding out the door, his coat flowing behind him. I followed.

Outside the door, Ifrit stepped aside, and gestured. I lead the way through the complex, curious as to why Marcus was letting the enemy wander through his center of operations unguarded.

The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. I whirled on Ifrit, who stopped and stood in the middle of the corridor we happened to be in.

"You have glamour", I stated simply.

Ifrit's eyebrow raised infinitesimally, the human equivalent of "you're stark raving mad".

I shook my head at his silent denial. "You charmed them. Everyone in the room."

The Void Walker laughed mirthlessly, the sound unnatural. Another learned human trait. His sibilant voice cut through the air. "Everyone except you. And the warrior. I do however, like a chance to try, how do you say, 'good, old fashioned way'."

I realized just how thick his accent was. It was clear Ifrit didn't interact with humans nearly as much as Rafe.

_Obviously..._. I frowned, and pushed the renegade thought from my mind before firing back. "Of course you couldn't charm me." I rolled up my sleeve, and showed him a small tattoo on my upper arm.

He chirped, an outdated way of expressing surprise. He shoved past me, calling over his shoulder as he did so, "Always full of surprises, you humans!"

I was exasperated. The man had essentially infiltrated a human installation, and was now running amok! I hurried after him, but his long strides were hard to match. He quickly came to the door of Rafe's cell, and pressing his hand against it, fingers splayed, he threw the door clean off it's hinges.

I stumbled inside the darkened room, while Ifrit whispered in a Jaerel Kaih dialect I didn't recognize. Probably an older, more archaic, tribal one. I glared past Ifrit, but my gaze softened.

Rafe looked terrible. He was emaciated, his ribs nearly showing, and his jet-black hair was drooping, and had lost its lustre. He licked his cracked, chapped lips while as he answered Ifrit's query, the latter's body language giving him away.

As they spoke, Rafe's unfocused gaze slowly slid past Ifrit and rested on me. The change was instant, and my head swam at the intensity of it. He rose to his feet smoothly, his previous vulnerability vanishing. When he spoke, his voice was beyond cold.

"I thank you Alexandra, for leading Ifrit here." His expression flickered for an instant, and he murmured, almost too low for me to hear, "Goodbye..." before the pair vanished in a wisp of darkness.

Moments later, a group of armed guards, led by Anthony, came running in, weapons at the ready. Upon seeing the empty cage, he swore loudly.

"I knew something was up...I knew it!"

Past the odd lump in my throat, I spoke. "It's not your fault...Ifrit has glamour. He can influence your thoughts."

Anthony sighed. "That explains how he was able to disable the generators to this room. Rafe couldn't have gotten out of here otherwise. The diplomacy...it was just a ploy so he could have his run of the place."

Something nagged at my thoughts, and I started. "He was weak. The can't have gone too far. I'd be willing to bet they're within the city limits, and they won't be able to step again until tomorrow."

Armed with that information, Anthony nodded to one of the guards, who hurried out of the room to relay the message. "Thank you, Ms. St. Claire." Anthony and the rest of the guards walked out of the room, weapons resting, and I followed.

I mulled Rafe's last words to me over in my head. He almost sounded...heartbroken. His body language had been hard to read, since he had been so ravaged, but I swore I saw resignation...he was dejected.

I found myself outside the door to my room, and I walked inside, and without so much as taking off my shoes, I flopped onto the bed, and promptly drifted to sleep.

**Angelic Sovereign: You know how it goes. Reviews are appreciated**


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